Friend, Please
by thedemonmatchmaker
Summary: When Gray Fullbuster discovers a simple two-worded flyer on his university's request board, he follows the trail to a beautiful blue-haired girl who might just change everything. Gruvia Multi-Chap. (University AU)
1. One: Light Blue Requests

**Friend, Please**

 _ **Chapter One:**_

 **Light Blue Requests**

Gray Fullbuster was an ordinary university student. Easily annoyed, sleep-deprived and broke, he was the poster-boy for a basic twenty year old student at Mavis University in Fiore. Today, as well, was like any other day. After a full day of back-to-back classes, he was irritable and exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to lay down on his warm bed and pretend like he didn't have a major chemistry lab to study for. On his way back to his dorm, the chemistry major trudged through the thick snow, wearing nothing more than a tee-shirt and jeans but somehow still not cold.

As he walked down the hall towards his dorm, he already knew he was in trouble. From fifty feet away he could already hear the giggling. Once Gray actually reached the door, he considered for a moment. He weighed his options and after a moment of deliberation, he chose to go ahead and open the door anyways.

And when he did, boy did he ever regret his choice.

What was waiting for him behind the door was his roommate, another chemistry major named Natsu, making out with his girlfriend, a kindhearted English lit major named Lucy. When they saw the raven haired man, standing paralyzed by the door, they immediately separated, cheeks flaming red. Sadly for both the lovebirds (as well as Gray's eyes), the damage was done.

"I… um… I-I was just going…." he stuttered as he turned on his heel and ran out of the dorm building. He rubbed his eyes roughly, as if that simple motion alone could erase the scarring scene he had just walked in on. Granted, they weren't doing anything _too_ bad, but it was still enough for Gray to wonder why he woke up that morning.

Once outside, he realized that it had started snowing. Though he had an extremely high tolerance for the cold, Gray wasn't a complete masochist. He sought shelter in the university's café, because there was no way in hell he was going back to his room. He had endured enough torture for one evening. Gray ordered a milkshake from the nice white haired waitress named Mirajane and took a seat in one of the comfiest sofas in the world. It was a little known fact, but Mira was actually attending the school on a scholarship. The kind veterinary sciences major could usually be found making drinks at the café for extra money to support not only her, but her two younger siblings as well. She was the sort of person who could light up anyone's day with a small smile. Even while working, she seemed to be completely content with life. In his entire time knowing Mira, Gray had never once hear her utter a complaint of any kind.

"Hey, Gray," Mira said sweetly as she put down the boy's drink in front of him. "What are you doing here? I thought you had that chem lab to study for."

"I was going to, but Natsu and Lucy seemed to have forgotten to put a sock on a door, and after the horrors I have witnessed, I'd rather fail my chem lab then go back there."

"Ah, I see. I'm so happy to know those two are getting along! My ships are sailing!" she squealed as she skipped back to the counter to take another student's order.

You see, the young barmaid was not only the nicest person in the world, but also the most devious. A self-proclaimed "matchmaker" she made everyone else's personal lives her business. And _no one_ came in between her and her ships. Though she looked like a soft cuddly person, she could switch personalities like a lightswitch. One second, you could be having a fun chat about unicorns and rainbows, the next you could be retreating from the demon matchmaker.

Gray had learned early on to keep his personal life just that, _personal_. Between having friends who meddled like Mira and friends who were just flat out nuts like Natsu, he had learned to keep any relationship he might enter secret from everyone he knew.

After an hour or so of studying (interrupted a few times Mira, raving about pink-haired, brown-eyed babies), Gray decided he wanted a change of pace. He stood up from his heavenly sofa and went to the university's "Request Board". A few years back, the board of directors decided it would be a good idea to make a place where students could post requests for help in certain courses, etc. This way, the broke students (mainly the party animals) could earn a little extra cash and the struggling student would have a place to get help. As previously mentioned, Gray was always broke and, like any other university student, he stood by the motto that there was no such thing as "too much partying". Cana's influence seemed to have rubbed off on the young chem student.

He scanned the board for a couple of minutes, trying to find something interesting. Seconds away from giving up completely, something caught his eye. A light blue paper, partially hidden by many other newer ads, had nothing but two words and a dorm number on it.

"Friend, please."

Curious, Gray pulled the request off the board, showed it to Mira, who wrote it down, and left to the dorm indicated on the flyer. Before leaving though, Mira got her boyfriend, Laxus, to lend Gray his jacket. The light snow from earlier had become a full fledged snow storm. Although he was grateful for the fur-lined coat, it was around fifty sizes too big and just hung on the chemistry major's shoulders. He felt a bit ridiculous with it on, considering it hung on his body like a massive cape. Gray was not a small guy, but with Laxus' jacket on, he felt dwarfed and self-conscious. Ignoring his fashion problem, the raven haired man continued on his journey to the mysterious dorm. He moved slowly but surely through the snow for about forty minutes until he finally reached his destination.

The dorm was on the complete other side of the massive campus and Gray was praying that the guy who posted the request would be chill with him spending the night. Between the Nalu moment happening back at his dorm and the worsening conditions outdoors, there was little he wouldn't do to spend the night at the poster's dorm.

When he found the dorm, he politely knocked on the door.

And, when a beautiful bluenette opened the door, Gray instantly knew his life would never be the same again.


	2. Two: Dark Walls, Bright Screens

**Friend, Please**

 **Two:** _Dark Walls, Bright Screens_

When Gray Fullbuster accepted the request begging for a friend, he was expecting some lonely soul who just crawled out of their mother's basement, someone with little or no social experience, someone who would look out of place in their own house.

He was most definitely not expecting _her_. Her being the girl who was standing at the entrance of the dorm he had just knocked on. She was the epitome of everything he was _not_ expecting.

Her beauty was overwhelming. She was of average height, maybe even a tad taller, and her figure was perfect. Her small waist and large chest were highlighted by the tight fitting yet flowing dress she wore. Her long light blue tresses hit right bellow her shoulders and snaked around in soft waves. Her soft skin was flawless, pale yet full of life somehow. Even the way she opened the door was cute. She didn't whip it open like Erza and Lucy usually do, she gently opened the door with care. After peeking her head to see who it was, she opened it the whole way and stood in the doorway.

"Um, hi. My name is Gray and I saw your request." he introduced himself uncomfortably. He awkwardly reached his hand out to shake hers and she shook it with just as much awkwardness. From her behaviour, Gray was starting to understand how she could have hard times making friends. She was so shy, Gray could barely see her face from the angle she had it at. Sure, she was breathtaking, but she wasn't really his type.

"Juvia." she mumbled, so quietly he could barely hear the words coming out of her mouth. The girl moved to the side, allowing Gray to enter her dorm. Judging from the clothing lying around one side of the room, she definitely had a roommate. Her dorm was painted dark blue with gray accents. It was clear that either she or her dorm mate had experience in the visual arts because, over her bed, was a beautiful stormy night. Dark storm clouds covered nearly the entire ceiling, with lightening so realistic, Gray stood there blinking for a few seconds. He suddenly felt ashamed of his shabby dorm with scorch marks (this is what he gets for having a pyromaniac as a roommate).

She motioned to the chemistry major to sit down on the navy couch facing away from the bedrooms. He plopped himself down and watched as Juvia looked around confused, as if searching for a way out of her own apartment.

"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to having guests over," Juvia explained quietly as she looked down at her hands, which were constantly in movement. "Can I offer you something to drink? Tea, coffee?"

"Coffee sounds nice." Gray responded. It was almost as if she had a negative, shy aura surrounding her, making people near her feel as uncomfortable as she looked. The young bluenette nodded and turned to go make him his warm drink. While she did, an awkward, uncomfortable silence filled the air. Gray, unsure what else to do, decided to try making small chat.

"So, Juvia, what field are you majoring in?"

"I-I will be majoring in meteorology," she stuttered in response. She barely looked over her shoulder while she responded. She just continued making him a coffee, and from the looks of it, a tea for herself.

"That's interesting. I, myself, am majoring in chemistry. There are some links in between both subjects." Gray said, trying to keep the conversation going even though she hadn't asked him. You could cut the unpleasantness in the air with a butter knife. It was like one of the dark storm clouds on the walls, ominous and forever present. He was starting to like paintings less and less as they reminded him of his current, inevitable situation. She didn't answer, just continued making their drinks.

A few torturous minutes later, Gray was regretting coming at all. She had just put the drinks down on the coffee table next to the couch and sat herself down as far as possible from Gray. He honestly wished he hadn't been curious and taken the request. It's not that she was unlikable or anything. To be honest, Gray had very little information about her to base his opinion on in the first place. Juvia seemed nice enough, it's just Gray was not a phycology major. He had no idea how to get her to talk, to even find out a little more about her than her first name, let alone become her friend like she asked.

"You must been wondering why I posted that request," Juvia finally said, breaking the silence and Gray's train of thought. His eyes widen in shock for a few seconds, surprised to hear her speak without being asked to. He nodded, hopping the gesture would encourage her to continue talking. At this point, he was willing to do almost anything to get the girl to talk. He was so desperate to get her to open up to him, that he was willing to listen to anything and everything she had to say.

"You probably don't know this, considering the size of this college, but I recently transferred here from Phantom Academy, along with my best friend, Gajeel." she motioned to the other bed. Gray winced a bit when she told him her last school. Phantom Academy had recently been closed down because of a high level of complaints, ranging from excessive bullying to sexual abuse. He just sat in front of her, hoping that she was feeling comfortable enough with him to continue with her story.

"It's been difficult, these past few weeks," she continued, still refusing to meet Gray's eyes. Her beautiful, soft doe eyes stayed fixed on the ground. She pulled down on the sleeves of her dress, hiding her clenched fists with the blue fabric. It was almost as if she wanted to disappear from his line of sight.

"People here are so nice, but sometimes they make me feel like they expect me to be broken beyond repair because of my past," she was on a roll now, barely stopping to breath, not wanting to interrupt the constant stream of words coming out. "They seem to think that I need their help to do simple, menial tasks like buying books. I get that they want to help me adjust, but I'm feeling suffocated."

Gray noticed something he hadn't seen before. She wasn't fidgeting because she was uncomfortable or because she'd didn't trust him. In fact, judging from the way she opened up so quickly, he assumed she really needed someone to vent to. The conclusion he reached was she felt so uncomfortable and nervous because she didn't want him to pity her.

She wanted him to be different.

So, that's exactly what he did. Instead of comforting her and bringing her in to a bone-crushing hug like he knew most people would do (especially if most people are Mirajane), he let her continue without interruption. He hoped he had made the right choice, and when he heard her continue, he felt reassured that he had.

"So, you see, the problem isn't that I need a friend, per say. To be honest, everyone here at Mavis has been beyond kind and caring. I just feel like... I'm not sure. I need somewhere to go where I can be accepted, but people won't ask me too many questions. Where not every single aspect of my life while be evaluated under a microscope." she shrugged, her monologue clearly over.

"I know what you mean. When I first came here, I had just lost my adoptive mother. I understood that my friends wanted to make my life easier, but at the same time, it was too much for me to handle. I began to close off, not letting myself get closer to anyone.

"My roommate, a boy named Natsu, told me to join this club named Fairy Tail. He dragged me, literally, to it and it was easily one of the best things that ever happened to me. They didn't try to suffocate me, they let me be, but at the same time, made it clear that they would be there for me if I ever needed it. It was a dark time in my life, but in the end, Fairy Tail really helped me." Gray explained quietly. He wouldn't normally consider himself a shy person, but taking about his past, especially his mother, Ur, made him uncomfortable. Even though it had been a while since her horrible passing, the pain still hurt like an open wound, one that would never be fully healed.

The two sat in silence for a few moments, letting the idea sink in. He never told her she could join, but it was implied in his speech. Gray considered making his offer clearer, but at the same time, he didn't want to pressure her into anything. After all, the two had only known each other for a little over half an hour. He barely knew her first name, and he didn't want her to close back up.

"This club, Fairy Tail, would they let just anyone join? Does one have to apply?" Juvia inquired quietly, not wanting to get rejected as she had too many times before. For the first time since the pair met, she looked him in the eye.

It was magical.

Her eyes were unlike anything he had ever since before. They were dark blue, so dark they almost seemed black. They sucked you in until that's all you could see. When you looked closer, you could see a dark gray outline around them, with a dark blue filling. Specks of pale blue and silver lit up her pupils and within milliseconds of seeing her eyes, Gray couldn't think straight at all. All he could see were her dark blue orbs. They were hypnotic and he was under their spell.

So much so, that he didn't even notice the lights go out until she squealed and jumped on him.

"Eep! The lights, the lights, WHERE ARE THE LIGHTS?" she screamed into his ear. Her breathing became rapid and his eyes widened as she held him closer, clearly scared out of her mind. Gray couldn't see very well in the dark, but he could see a little bit thanks to the bright, white light her laptop was making. He saw her cheeks glisten with tears as she shook uncontrollably in his arms. His mind started to shut down as he began to panic, too. He was taken aback by her sudden presence near him, as she had gone through so much trouble to distance herself from him earlier.

"Here," he said as he held her small body with one arm while reaching over to grab her laptop of the coffee table in front of him. He turned on the screen's brightness all the way up so that way she would be able clearly. As she looked around, she began to calm down. Her breathing slowed and after a few seconds, she rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hands to wipe off her salty tears.

"Thank you," Juvia thanked him calmly. Even though she appeared to be feeling alright, Gray kept an arm wrapped around her waist to make sure she knew she wasn't alone. The young chemistry major recognized her behaviour, he had seen it many times before when Lisanna, the youngest Strauss, went missing, and Mirajane lost it.

Juvia was going to have a panic attack.

Panic attacks were like falling into a black hole. They were endless pits of fear and anxiety with no way out. It's like being drowned alive in your own worst nightmares, so realistic at times that it could be hard to separate fact from fiction. He wanted to help her, as he was all too familiar with the intense pain and loneliness that came with one. He knew the only way out would be from physical contact and a constant presence on his part.

"Shh," he whispered quietly as he absentmindedly stroked her blue locks. He had gotten into the habit of doing this for Mirajane and used his acquired skills to help his new friend out. It's funny how you can know someone for so little time, yet you can already feel so close.

After a few minutes, Juvia started to quiet down. She fell back into Gray's chest as her breathing slowed. She looked up at him with those mesmerizing eyes of hers and smiled her shy little smile.

If Gray were to be made of ice, he would've melted into a puddle.

She turned around and wiggled herself out of his embrace. Though he was reluctant to let go, he complied and watched as she reached over to the other side of the sofa to grab a fuzzy dark gray blanket. She unfolded it and threw it over the two of them. She snuggled back up against the almost-stranger and sat there, comfortably.

"Thank you, Gray" she said, making Gray smile unconsciously as he heard her say his name. "I can't stand the dark. It's not really the lack of light that scares me, it's the fact that you can't see what's coming. I know it's stupid and irrational, but then again, is there even such thing as a rational fear?"

"It's not stupid or irrational. Trust me, it's logical and understandable." Gray comforted her quietly.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" she asked after a small pause in conversation. She pulled her laptop onto her lap and scrolled through her screens. He watched her as she fiddled with her computer, glad to see her happier, even if he suspected she was covering up some deeper pain. She smiled as she opened one particular slide and clicked play.

"I hope you like..." Juvia paused for effect. "FROZEN!" she screeched as the opening music started. He rolled his eyes but laughed a bit at her terrible pun. Since it was so cold out there, it might as well be inside, too.

It couldn't ever be cold with her around, he thought to himself.

Not ever.


	3. Three: Shinning Suns, White Snow

Hey fam! Here with another update :) Sorry this chapter is shorter, I'm leaving on a weekend-long trip tomorrow and I won't update for a bit :( I'll be back in a few days though, and if you guys continue with your sweet reviews I'll be motivated to write! Feel free to review or PM me with any comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter, not much fluff but I swear the next chapter will rot your teeth! This chapter is needed for Juvia's backstory to make sense, sorry if it's a bit bland! Love you guys ;)

- _The Demon ;)_

* * *

 **Friend, Please**

 **Three:** _Shinning Sun, White Snow_

Gajeel Redfox regretted a lot of things. For one, the geology major regretted spending his spare day partying with his best friends, the notorious "Dragon Slayers". He deeply, _deeply_ regretted the fact he had passed out at Rouge and Sting's dorm, only able to wake himself from his comatose-like state the next morning. He equally regretted opening the door to his dorm room without knocking.

Even though he shared with a girl, he had learnt over the many years he had known Juvia that there were very few things she did that would cause one to raise an eyebrow. The bluenette was very reserved and generally... well, boring. So, Gajeel had stopped bothering with even knocking.

He honestly was _not_ expecting the sight he witnessed when he walked in.

Juvia, the quietest and most humble girl Gajeel had ever met, was sleeping under a blanket with a strange man. He blinked several times when he first entered, as if it was nothing more than an alcohol-induced mirage that would disappear if he shut his eyes enough times. It might have been because of his hangover, but for a split second, the long-haired roommate found the man Juvia had her arms wrapped around... _attractive._ As he approached the strange scene, he realized with a start that he recognized the boy.

Gray Fullbuster.

With a growl, he pulled the pink-haired perv's roommate off his best friend. No way in hell he'd let the stripper near someone as fragile as Juvia.

With a start, Gray woke up. He felt the strong man's grip on the back of his shirt (he was wearing one for once) and paused a moment to recall the events from the previous night. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes, slowly remembering the request he took, the girl he met and the snuggle-fest that took part afterwards. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as he looked back and saw Juvia, smiling blissfully in her sleep, unaware of her roommates sudden entrance.

"What the hell, dude?" Gray growled, pushing the other man's hand away from his back. "What do you even think you're doing?"

"What are _you_ doing in _my_ dorm with _my_ best friend?" Gajeel pushed back, leaning dangerously close to the other raven-haired man, accenting every pronoun to make his stance clear to the other. The best friend felt annoyed and wanted nothing more to find out why the _hell_ Gray Fullbuster of all people was sitting in his dorm, trying to take advantage of his friend.

He would _never_ let something like that happen to her again.

It was his job to protect her, and he had failed.

He refused to fail again.

Lashing out, Gajeel grabbed Gray roughly by the collar and tried to take a swing at him. Luckily for Gray, the long-haired man was still _very_ hungover from the night before and was unable to make contact. The chemistry major's eyes widen. He understood Gajeel's anger but he hadn't expected things to get physical, especially not with the dormant girl less than a foot away.

Not wanting to scare the girl or hurt her roommate, Gray easily sidestepped the attack, putting his hands up in submission.

"Listen," he started cautiously, subconsciously preparing for the other man's next attack. "I'm sorry you weren't expecting me. But nothing was going on here." At this, Gajeel growled aggressively. He may not have been a genius, but he knew that whatever was going on was not "nothing". Juvia never touched anyone, unless she trusted them with all her heart. It had taken her months to warm up to Gajeel. There was no way this little Fullbuster punk had managed it in a day.

"Ok, I know it's not looking great here, but let me explain," Gray slowed, noticing the man brace for another hit. "She put a request on the board to have someone to talk to and I answered it. It lead me to your dorm and when the power went out, we decided to watch a movie. We must've fallen asleep. That's _all_ this is."

"That's impossible," Gajeel countered. "She never would've posted that. She could have just talked to me if something was bothering her."

A sharp, snippy comeback came to Gray's mind, but he had enough self-control to hold it back. He knew there was no easy way out of this situation but he wasn't eager to get into a fistfight with Gajeel Redfox, one of the college's best boxers. He didn't have a death wish, all things considered.

Remembering he still had Juvia's little blue request in his jean pocket, he reached it and showed it to the other man, whose stance was still aggressive. Gajeel looked doubtfully at Gray and snatched it out of his hands. He read it over and over, incredulous. He looked over to where the beautiful bluenette laid, a soft smile on her serene, sleeping face.

Part of him didn't believe his reserved, shy Juvia would ever even think of making such a strange request. Although, a larger, more sensitive part of him wished it wasn't true. He didn't want to accept the fact that his best friend in the whole world, his closest confidant and the only person he wholeheartedly trusted, would need to find someone else to talk to. They were supposed to have an open, happy relationship.

But apparently not.

Pushing his emotions aside, he realized he still had another problem to deal with, one in the form of a stripping playboy.

"Get out." Gajeel growled, his voice so low it could barely be heard in the silent apartment. " _Now_."

Gray put his ego aside and grabbed his things to leave. He didn't want to start anything, especially not with someone so close to Juvia. He wanted to see her again, to bring her to Fairy Tail. In the short span of an evening, she had wiggled her way into his heart and he didn't want to jeopardize the beginning of a budding friendship over Gajeel.

As he stepped out of the dorm, Laxus' coat in his arms, he looked back ruefully, not wanting to leave the sleeping girl. But, as he left the building and walked out to the beautiful, shining sun beating down on the bright white snow, he made a decision. One he might come to regret, but one he would never give up on.

Not even Gajeel Redfox could get in between him and Juvia.


	4. Four: Chats and Chatter

HEY! So, I'm back with a treat ;) Here's a longer chapter than usual! I have some ideas for the next chapters and I was wondering two things: how long do you guys want this to be and long or short chapters? Just PM anytime! And reviews! I ADORE THEM :D You guys are so sweet, keep it up! They make me feel more inspired ;)

- _The Demon ^_^_

* * *

 **Friend, Please**

 **Four:** _Chats and Chatter_

Gajeel stood by the window of his dorm, watching as Gray Fullbuster distanced himself from the building, glancing back every now and then to make sure Juvia was still asleep. Once Gray was nothing but a dot in the horizon, Gajeel turned and went to make himself some coffee.

The confrontation with the other man had drained what little energy he had left and he was beyond exhausted. His head pounded with a morning-after headache. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his warm, comfortable bed and sleep forever. With a glance back at the sleeping bluenette on the couch, he realized that wouldn't be possible.

At least, not until the two of them had a conversation.

He crumpled the little blue piece of stationery in his hand. The stupid bit of paper had felt like a arrow straight to his heart, a constant pain that served as a reminder of his incompetence. He had thought that he had been there for Juvia. That he had been _enough_. But it seemed like the only thing he was good at doing was failing.

He had failed again. It seemed that was all he ever did.

He rubbed his eyes roughly with the back of his hand. The pierced man was not one to cry, but between his hangover and the crushing pain of failure, he felt like he was about to break into pieces. His insides felt as if they had been ripped out of his body only to be crudely stitched back in. His heart was shattered and his head seemed to throb with every beat of his torn heart. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Juvia make the slightest movement. Realizing she was slowly coming to, he covered up his emotions. He had to be strong for her.

"Gray?" she mumbled, stretching her arms and legs like a small kitten. Gajeel flinched ever so slightly at the sound of the rival man's name but said nothing. He gave her a few moments to wake up completely and realize the man she had fallen asleep with had been replaced by the one she _should_ have slept next to.

"Gajeel?" she asked, confused. Pushing up on her elbows, she came to a full sitting position. The blue-haired girl smiled at her best friend, but her eyes said more. They wondered why _this_ black-haired man was in front of her instead of the other one.

"We need to talk Juvia." Gajeel said roughly. He attempted to smile, but his feelings got the better of him. His face fell, a give away of his internal turmoil. He was hurt and wanted to know why. Juvia, sensing her friend's discomfort, immediately became more alert.

"What's wrong, Ji-Ji?" she asked, leaning forward to reach out to him. Gajeel softened at her nickname for him. He realized that he was being a bit harsh and let her touch him, instead of distancing himself from her further. He crashed down on the couch next to her, hugging her from the side. He wasn't a big fan of touching and this made Juvia worry even more. Something must have been seriously wrong.

Without another word, Gajeel reached into his pocket, revealing the little crumpled piece of sky blue paper. The girl's eyes widened in recognition. She slowly pulled the bit of stationary from his hand. Slowly, the pieces of the morning's puzzle came together in her head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his shoulder as she pulled him into a tight embrace. "I just wanted someone who didn't know."

"But I would've have been there for you. I'm always here. Why?" he questioned, his words thick with emotions.

"It's nice to not be seen as a victim by everyone," was her quiet response. Gajeel felt a pang in his heart for her. Suddenly, it all made sense to him. Who was he to hold her back from making more friends? She needed to break out of her shell, as it was slowly crushing her.

The darkness in her had become a permanent fixture it seemed, but in those few short seconds Gajeel had seen her snuggled up with Fullbuster, it had seemed that she was whole once more, that she wasn't struggling in the constant battle with her demons. And _anyone_ who could do this to _his_ Juvia was a miracle worker. He felt the heavy weight of guilt in his gut.

And he had just thrown that miracle worker out.

If Gray didn't come back to Juvia, Gajeel wasn't sure what he would do with himself. Once more, he had managed to ruin Juvia's life. And no friend should ever be such a horrible influence.

The two stayed like that, wrapped in each other's tight embrace, for what seemed like hours. It was Gajeel's job to protect his best friend and he had made a solemn vow.

On his life, he would _never_ fail her again.

* * *

Gray Fullbuster trudged through the fresh snow, slowly but surely making his way back to his dorm complex. He passed some friends on the way, waving but not stopping. This was one of the rare times when the raven-haired man needed his best friend's help.

Passing by the café, he grabbed a drink and handed Mira Laxus' jacket. With a quick adieu, he made his way up the stairs back to his dorm. Luckily, this time around, he heard no giggling and knocked before entering. With a quick "come in", he pushed open the door.

Inside, Lucy stood in the kitchen, making what appeared to be french toast, while Natsu did his best to distract her. She managed to ignore him and make delicious breakfast at the same time. In moments like that, Gray wondered what Lucy was doing with someone like Natsu.

The three of them, along with Lucy's roommate, Erza, had known each other for their entire lives. Having grown up on the same street, the four had been best friends for all of eternity. Natsu and Lucy had been the stereotypical love story. Best childhood friends that had realized their love for each other and become more. Although, regardless of the fact that the two were in a relationship, they never chose each other over Gray and Erza. Even in the darkest times, Gray knew he could depend on his best friends. Even after Ur's death, when Gray had felt empty and useless, his friends and Fairy Tail had managed to drag him back from the darkness of the abyss within himself. When everything in his world had felt gray, his friends had made him relive the golden days and because of them, he had been saved.

He hoped with his whole heart that Juvia would be the same.

Something about the blue-haired girl intrigued him. He was so accustomed to the craziness of Fairy Tail that her reservedness was like a breath of fresh air. Everything about her was perfect to him. The soft waves in her hair, the pale pink of her lips, the way she blushed when she smiled. But, even after knowing her for a day, Gray could tell that there were demons hidden deep inside of her. He, having had a personal experience with darkness, knew that the only way to fix it was for her to fix it herself. But, that didn't mean she needed to do it alone. He wanted to be there for her, to support her.

Gray was well aware of how crazy he sounded, considering he barely knew the girl, but something about her made him want to stay. Every part of him wanted to see her again. Not even Gajeel, the buffed-up boxer he was, could hold him back. Now, don't get him wrong. Gray had a healthy fear of the man, but he knew that Juvia was worth any pain the pierced man would inflict upon him.

"Do you guys know a bluenette named Juvia?" he asked suddenly, pulling the two lovebirds out of their trance. They looked up at him, Natsu confused while Lucy was curious.

"A bit," Lucy started, mixing the french toast batter. "Isn't she that Phantom girl?"

"Wait a sec," Natsu looked up, snapping out of his confusion. "Are you talking about Juvia Lockser, Metal Head's friend?"

Gray held back a remark about Natsu's stupidity and simply nodded, wanting to hear what he had to say about her.

"I heard she was loopy," Natsu explained indelicately. Lucy hit him with the spatula as he continued. "She used to be a stellar student at Phantom but then she had, like, a breakdown or something and then, after the school got shut down, she switched to here. But that's 'bout all I know. Metal Head is super protective of her, though. Not sure why."

"Yeah, I think I heard something like that as well." Lucy finished. Noticing the drop in Gray's expression after learning of the girl's past, she added slowly. "But it's just chatter. It's not necessarily true. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing important. I just met her in passing yesterday and I was wondering if you guys knew her," he brushed it off. As he noted before, his friends' were the meddling kind and there were certain things that he just didn't like sharing with him, no matter how much he loved them. This was one of those things.

Gray sat down at the counter as he watched his friends mess around. Lucy and Natsu, all things aside, seemed to be a match made in heaven. The two complimented each other so perfectly, it seemed that they were made for each other. She brought him down to Earth while he kept her dreaming in the clouds. The raven haired man smiled softly at his closest companions. He hoped to find what they had one day.

But, then again, love always seemed to appear in the strangest and least convenient places.


	5. Five: Lectures and Lessons

Hi fam! It's been so long, I'm so sorry! I have gotten some reviews asking for more and I'm glad that I could finally respond :) Here is another chapter! It's about the average length, but I hope you guys all enjoy ;) I sort of left it on a cliffhanger but I can assure you it will be cleared up next chapter with some more fluff on the horizon!

 _-The Demon :)_

* * *

 **Friend, Please**

 **Five:** _Lectures and Lessons_

* * *

A week later, Gray was walking back from a lecture. Though he had been trying his hardest this past few days, he had been completely unable to concentrate in any of his courses, no matter how demanding they were. He would completely zone out, thinking back to the day he met a beautiful, kind-hearted blue haired girl. She had invaded his mind and declared control of his brain. Whenever his thoughts started to wander to anything else, she called them back to her from her throne in the centre of his head.

He felt lost to her and he didn't even care.

He trudged through the snow, taking his time as he walked through the blistering cold to his dorm. The man hadn't even bothered to wear a coat. All he adorned was a simple tee-shirt and a pair of jeans. A part of his brain was aware of the cold and the pain it was inflicting on his skin, but he didn't really mind it. The pain kept him grounded, because he feared that, without it, his mind would wander to the clouds.

Gray hadn't actually _seen_ Juvia since the incident last week with Gajeel. He feared that the girl believed he had walked out on her and he wasn't sure if she would even be willing to talk to him. Maybe the pierced moron had poisoned her mind for good and there would be no point in even approaching her.

Without her near him, Gray could think freely about her. He thought about her situation, how dark and dreary it had seemed at first. He believed that, since he had first-hand experience with fighting with your demons, he would be in a position to help her and guide her. The raven haired man was conscious of how strong of a person Juvia was, but things like this could not be fixed by herself. She needed support. She needed more than just Gajeel by her side. She needed an entire battalion and Gray was more than willing to be that and more for her.

Stepping through the deep snow and attempting to avoid the ice-covered sidewalks, he slowly made his way to his building. Finally, after what seemed like years, he reached the metal door. He was about to whip it open when he noticed the man standing in his way.

Gajeel Redfox.

"What are you doing here?" Gray growled to the offending man. His pride was still hurt from his earlier treatment. To add injury to insult, it was _Gajeel_ who was keeping him away from Juvia. Without him in the picture, Gray would have been free to see the beautiful student whenever he pleased. But _no..._

"Calm your pits, princess." Gajeel responded harshly, pushing himself up from his leaning position on the wall. "I come here in peace."

Gray's mouth twisted into a smirk. He wanted to hurt that man so badly, but it took everything in him to hold back. At the time, a week prior, he had understood why Gajeel was so protective of Juvia. Although, after spending so much of his time thinking about her, he couldn't help but find the opposing man idiotic. Juvia had finally made some progressive, as she had gone out of her comfort zone in search for some companionship. Things had been starting to look up for the girl and then, Gajeel had let his ego get in the way and destroyed the poor girl's first chance at happiness in ages.

And _that_ was unforgivable in Gray's mind.

"There is nothing you could want to say to me," he started as he attempted to push his way past the bigger man. Gajeel simply put an arm out, blocking the other's path to the indoors.

"Juvia has been a mess since you left," Gajeel said quietly, looking down at his shoes as he spoke. He seemed to be reluctant to talk to Gray, but his current situation gave him little option.

"Oh and whose fault is that, _exactly_?" Gray responded sharply, his voice dripping with malicious sarcasm.

"Listen, ice prick," Gajeel warned him, looking directly in the other man's eyes. Earlier that week, Gray would have flinched and turned away at the sight of those frightening crimson orbs, but after meeting Juvia and having her immediately taken away from him, he felt little fear in front of the imposing boxer. "She needs you. I'm realizing now that I fucked up, okay? I can't be everything to her and I'm doing anyone any good by 'protecting' her. All I'm doing is isolating her even more than she has already. She really needs more people in her life and in those few moments you guys were together, she had been happier and more carefree than I had seen her in months.

"I've learnt my lesson now and I'm here to say sorry. I really want you to go back into her life. I'm not saying I approve of you, ice queen. All I'm saying is that you make her happy and as long as you do that, I am in no position to complain"

Gray looked back up at Gajeel, his eyes widening in shock as his mind attempted to process the startling news. This was exactly what he had wanted to hear all week. It was ridiculous that someone like Gajeel would have enough power over someone as delicate as Juvia. It was even more ridiculous that he would try to keep positive influences away from her.

The more cynical parts of Gray's head wondered if perhaps Gajeel had purposely kept the two apart. Maybe the long haired man wanted Juvia to himself. Maybe seeing his "best friend" in pain made him feel strong. Maybe having so much say in her life made him feel powerful. But Gray quickly dismissed these thoughts. Gajeel seemed genuinely invested in the girl's well being and Gray doubted that he would be capable of inflicting pain on her.

He considered what he was hearing carefully. While Gajeel _had_ just allowed the chemistry student to see the girl he had wanted, there seemed to be a catch. He evaluated the situation carefully in his head before formulating a response.

"Why now?" was all he said in response. He wanted to understand what had made Gajeel suddenly change his mind after an entire week of giving Gray the cold-shoulder.

"She wanted me to give you this. I've been holding on to it all week, wondering if you were worthy of her. I realize now that it's not really for me to chose or not. She's an adult and I can't protect her from everything. If she wants to see you, then who am I to stop her?" Gajeel admitted, slumping his shoulders as he dug his hands into the front pockets of his baggy jeans. He pulled out a small pale blue envelope, made of the same stationary as the request that had started this whole thing.

Gray slowly reached over, delicately taking the paper in his cold hands. He wanted to read it right then and there, but he felt it would be better if he read it in private. He carefully placed it in the back pocket of his denim pants, paying extra care as to not crumple the paper. He wanted to keep it in perfect mint condition.

"Thank you," he mumbled to Gajeel as he finally pushed passed the man and made his way to his room. Once he was out of Gajeel's line of vision, he broke out into a sprint, eager to make it to his room and read the girl's note.

He had been wanting to see her, to talk to her, all week. Every fiber in his body had been aching for her. It wasn't necessarily because he was attracted to her, though he was, it was mainly because he felt like he could help her. He wanted to help her. In fact, he _needed_ to help her. To him, she was the one person he wanted to care for, to protect and shower in affection. He knew he was jumping the gun a bit, but he really liked her. His intentions weren't necessarily romantic, but they were more powerful and desperate than anything he had ever felt before.

His need to see her had slowly taken over his whole body, consuming him mind and soul. Every part of him wanted her happiness and he was willing to do almost anything to achieve it. That was why he hated Gajeel so much. In his eyes, Gajeel was holding Juvia back, keeping her potential at bay. He was like a damn and she needed to be released. Gray wanted to be the one to let her free.

The raven haired man was lucky because he was certain that no one would be in his dorm at this hour. Natsu had a full day of classes which meant that he would have nothing to stop him once he reached his room. Lucy rarely came to their place without the pinkette pyromaniac, so there was essentially no risk of running into her.

With the light blue note in his hand, he pushed open the door to his apartment, his eyes widening when he caught sight of what welcomed him when he entered.


	6. Six: Sweets and Meets

HIIIIII! I'm so **SO** sorry! It's been so long! (Ok, like a week but still). I've been really sick and I'm sorry I should've updated sooner! Sorry not sorry for that cliffhanger but here's the resolution! Now to the fluff...

 _-The Demon :P_

* * *

 **Friend, Please**

 **Six:** _Sweets and Meets_

* * *

Gray Fullbuster has witnessed many crazy things in his young life. Considering the sort of people he chooses to spend his time with, it would only be logical to have witnessed some inexplicable things. He has seen his best friend set fire to his own hair, he has witnessed Lucy jump out of a two-storey window into a pool (she was drunk, it was a dare) and he has even watched as Erza attempted to fight an entire bar filled with angry looking drunk men (suffice to say she won). He even spent his time at Fairy Tail, the college's strangest club.

But he was not prepared for what he saw when walked in.

There she was, Erza Scarlet, having returned after a week school trip with Habitat for Humanity. That, alone, was enough to shock Gray as she wasn't supposed to return for another three days. But what she was doing pushed the limit of strangeness he could handle. He blinked, trying to see if the scene unfolding in front of him was a mirage. But no. This was all real.

The redhead stood in Gray's kitchen, wearing what appeared to be a... cat suit? A tight fitting one at that. The sort those sorority girls wore to all the Halloween parties. In one hand, she held a bowl filled with batter while she mixed with a large spoon using her other. She had her headphones in, bopping her head to the blaring music that was so loud, Gray could hear it from his spot near the entrance.

Because of the sound of her dangerously loud music, the redhead hadn't even noticed his entry. Had it been anyone else, Gray would've been tempted to scare them, but considering this was _Erza_ , he didn't have a death wish and decided not to do anything.

"Hey!" he shouted, hoping to catch her attention before her instincts kicked in and she attacked him. He repeated himself a few times, increasing the volume his voice with ever yell. Finally, she realized she wasn't alone and yelped in shock. Luckily, though, for Gray, she realized who it was before hurting the intruder. The girl smiled and pulled off her headphones, leaning casually against the counter as if this were an everyday occurrence.

"What are you... um...doing?" Gray stammered out.

"I'm cooking, duh," she responded. "I never realized you were so oblivious."

"I-I mean, what are you doing in my dorm, dressed li-like that?" he sputtered, hoping his cheeks weren't red. He had known Erza nearly his entire life and their relationship was completely platonic but her outfit was still making him… uncomfortable.

"Oh. OH! This you mean?" she said, motioning to her strange get-up. "Well, it's sort of a long story. I was supposed to be on that trip, y'know, building the houses for Habitat for Humanity. Then, I realized that Jellal's birthday was today, so I came back to the campus as soon as I could. I felt so stupid for forgetting my darling's birthday. Wearing this outfit is my punishment, but I sort of like it, don't you?"

"Yea, uh-huh. Now, what are you doing in my dorm room?"

"Well, I know you guys having a working kitchen and I really wanted to bake my Jellal something yummy and homemade for his birthday. I can't believe I almost forgot, so this is another part of my penance."

Gray just shrugged this off and walked in. Typical Erza. Forgetful at times, always too hard on herself. It was almost as if she _enjoyed_ giving her these weird punishments. He took off his coat and boots, leaving everything haphazardly around the room. Pulling out his textbooks, he prepared his usual workspace in the desk nestled in the corner of the room. He loved sitting there, the walls snugly sitting around him. He felt oddly at ease in tight spaces. Probably an after-effect from growing up with Natsu, who loved hiding and playing pranks on people.

That space by his desk was his and his alone, and even though Erza was in the same room, he felt as if he were completely alone when he sat there. While he loved working at the school's immense library, there was something special about having a place that he could call his own.

Gray wanted nothing more than to rip open Juvia's note, but it took every ounce of self-control he had to stop himself. While he loved Erza, she really could not have chosen a worse time to stop by unannounced. A part of him was so desperate to read Juvia's words that he was almost willing to open the letter in front of Erza. Alas, he would not do that. Anything concerning Juvia was special, and he didn't want to waste a beautiful note from the beautiful girl because he couldn't wait the few minutes it would take for the redhead to finish up.

The raven haired man carefully pulled the letter out from his back pocket, glad to see that it was still in perfect condition. His fingers brushed along the envelope, analyzing every bit of the texture of the rich stationery. Having a piece of the blue-haired girl he had been so enticed by in his hands was intoxicating and he found it harder than ever to control himself.

Under normal circumstances, Gray considered himself a rather logical and patient person. It took a lot to aggravate him (unless it had anything to do with Natsu) and he was usually the poster boy for self-control. He had enough self-discipline to manage school work and party time. He was the sort of person to always be on top of his duties, to have all the class work for the next two weeks already complete. He was the type of person to always be ten minutes early, the person who was patient enough to wait for his friends who were always ten minutes late.

But under _these circumstances_ , after everything Juvia had done to his mind, he found it nearly impossible to restrain himself. His fingers were itching to rip open the small, blue envelope. The only way he could stop the temptation was to push the letter deep underneath a heavy stack of textbooks. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Wrong.

For the next horribly painful hour, he attempted to do some work for his courses. In the past week, he had gone from the guy who was always two steps ahead to the frightened boy who was running to catch up in almost all of his courses, all because of Juvia. He tried listening to calming music, taking breaks by helping Erza in the kitchen, he even went on a short walk. But nothing would calm his nerves or clear his mind. In that short meeting with the blue-haired girl, she had taken his normally routine and boring life and turned it upside-down. Everything he thought he had known was gone and here he was, clueless and love-struck.

Not a second too soon, the oven beeped and Erza pulled out a beautiful looking strawberry cake, her specialty. It smelt beyond amazing and in those few moments, Gray was jealous of Jellal. Even though he didn't know the man very well, he knew that he and Erza had been childhood friends, before she had even met Gray and the rest of the crew. Then, one day, Jellal mysteriously moved away. The whole affair was very sudden and Erza had never really stopped wondering.

Against all odds, the two ran into each other once again, this time in a Creative Write elective they had both chosen. This time, though, Erza wouldn't let him get away. They had only "officially" been dating for the past month, but their relationship had been a lifetime in the making. Missed opportunities and second chances had made the two very affectionate. Their love had transformed Erza into a "here-and-now" type person and it actually inspired to be more like her.

Looking at Erza now, as she decorated Jellal's birthday cake, Gray realized that he couldn't let Juvia go. When he had walked out last week because of Gajeel, he had let his fear of the large man and his insecurities get in the way of his tenuous friendship with the beautiful, unique girl. This time, he thought as Erza packed up the cake, he wouldn't let her slip out of his reach.

He walked the redhead to the girl, wishing her luck for her impromptu birthday celebration. Once she had made her way down the hallway (wearing nothing but the cat costume, of course), he shut the door, creating a loud _slam!_ noise.

He threw the stack of books covering Juvia's note onto the ground, uncaring and hungry to read her words. It was as if he was dying of thirst and her letter were the last clean drops of water on Earth. He was desperate to see her careful calligraphy, to read her cautious words and to smell the scent of her perfume on the little, pale blue paper.

And when he finally did, he was not disappointed. The simple words filled his entire body with ecstasy, making him feel butterflies in his stomach and fireworks in his chest. Her short letter was straight-forward and to the point, just like her last one. Unlike her last one, though, she left a way to be reached.

 _Fiore history section, Master Mavis Library. 5 o'clock, Thursday night._

 _-Juvia (820-193-2826)_

 _P.S. I'm sorry._


	7. Seven: Library Books and Nasty Looks

Hi guys! I was supposed to get this out yesterday for Valentine's day... but oh well. _Anyyyyways_ I just wanted to thank you all for the cute reviews! Please keep them up because the more of them I see the more I want to write! You guys keep me inspired and I can't wait to see what you have to say :)

- _The Demoooon :)_

* * *

 **Friend, Please**

 **Seven:** _Library Books and Nasty Looks_

Juvia was 99.9999999% sure she had just made the biggest mistake of her entire life. Why couldn't she have just stayed the quiet, demure, insecure, antisocial girl she had been for so long? That had been working for her. She never had to worry about coming off as stupid or for saying the wrong thing, because, well, she just never _said_ anything. She wondered why she couldn't just stay that girl. The one who didn't say or do anything.

But, _nooooo_.

The bluenette tried not to repeatedly smash her head against the closest bookshelf. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Stupid for thinking he would even read her letter. Stupid for thinking he would ever want to see her again, let alone meet her. Stupid for thinking he even remembered her. Why would someone like Gray want to be seen with a nobody like her? He was everything people dreamed to be. Popular, extremely handsome, came from a good family, well liked by both his professors and his peers, wickedly athletic, incredibly intelligent. Gray was the whole package and more in every sense of the phrase.

You see, after that night with Gray, she did a little... _research_. She asked around to see if anyone knew him, knew anything about him. She asked everyone she knew what they knew about him and came up with a short list. By the end of the week, Juvia knew which dorm he lived in, whom he lived with, who he saw on a regular basis, which teachers taught which of his courses.

Juvia even went a few steps further than that. It wasn't enough for her to know the basics about him. She wanted to know _everything_ about him. What his childhood was like, what his _real_ interests were. She wanted to be able to find out things no one else knew about him. But, most of all, Juvia wanted to learn these things from his lips. Since, of course, that was nearly impossible since he barely knew she existed, she settled for some easy internet searches. After punching his name into a search engine, she found a few hits from different websites and social medias. Everything from his high school's' online yearbook to his personal Facebook accounts popped up after a simple search.

The bluenette was aware that what she was doing was wrong and creepy. But her aching need to know more about him quickly took priority over her inhibitions and soon, she stopped caring about all the boundaries she had crossed. With every photo she saw or link she clicked on, she wanted more, more, _more_. Suddenly, that internet search became a daily occurrence. She carefully scanned through every site that mentioned the name "Gray Fullbuster", taking all the details of his life and family in. She drank in the sight of his face in every picture he had posted on all his various social medias. She even went so far as to look on his friends' feeds to find more images of the dashing raven haired boy.

The more the girl found out, the deeper she fell. She began to get lost in herself, in him, in everything. They seemed so destined to know each other. They had so much in common. They had a deep love for music, they both were part of similar committees, they both shared the same interests. It seemed that everything she had done until that point had been leading up to meeting Gray and now that she had, she needed to get him back into her life.

Although, not everything she found out about him was good. As she dug deeper into his history, the bluenette began to find things she wished she hadn't. As she looked through the man's social medias, she found more and more pictures of him with his arm around gorgeous girls, all millions of times prettier than she. In some of them, he wore nothing but shorts, seemingly at a beach or camp of sorts, while in others, he was dressed formally, wearing form-fitting suits. Her eyes teared as she looked through those pictures, her chest filling with inadequacy. She didn't _want Gray_ but knowing for a fact that she _wouldn't_ have him hurt more than it should have.

The college student tried her hardest not to compare herself to the girls from the photos, but with every different post and every different girl, she began to lose hope. Her self-esteem crumpled as she carefully looked at everyone he knew. They were all better than her, better than her on her best day ever. That girl was thinner and that one had prettier eyes. That one had a bigger chest and the one after that had longer legs. She didn't know a thing about any of them, not even their names, but she still thought every single one of them was better than her. Their faces blended until they became one girl. That one girl was the epitome of everything she wanted to be, everything she couldn't be. That one girl had all of their desirable traits put together, everything she could only dream of being. That one girl was the anti-Juvia; pretty, popular, outgoing and successful. Even when you pulled that one girl apart and looked at all the individual girls, they were _still_ better than her. For all she knew, they were smarter, kinder and funnier than her. They were probably all more outgoing than her. Hell, she didn't even have the courage to wear the type of clothing half of them wore. Just looking at the form fitting clothes gave the girl a small rush.

Everything about Gray's life intrigued her. The more she dug, the more she found out. For example, he had been going to the same summer camp nearly all his life and he had made many friends there. He even went back to work as a counsellor there, along with a lot of people Juvia recognized from around the campus. She envied the look of happiness on their faces in the images. Her parents never wanted her going to summer camp when she grew up. It's too far, they said. We don't want you away from that long, they complained. But, looking at the close bonds Gray had built with his camp buddies, a deep cut of envy filled the bluenette. Not for the first time in her life, she felt she had been robbed of something she should have been able to experience.

Juvia tried not to think about that as she leaned against a bookshelf in the Fiore History Section of the library. Maybe she hadn't been clear enough? She feared he wouldn't be coming at all. It was already five minutes past their arranged time and with every passing second, the girl felt a small part of her heart break a little bit. She wanted to grab her purse, turn on her heel and walk out with what little dignity she had left, but she felt glued in place to her spot. A tiny part of her subconscious was responsible for the fact that she was still standing there, alone in the silent library, instead of walking out like she wanted to. That same part was also whispering to the rest of her mind, keeping the hope that he might show up at the last second alive.

"Shut up," she reprimanded herself aloud. Luckily, no one was within earshot or she would have seemed even crazier than usual (which, for Juvia, was saying something). She shook her head at herself, finally deciding she had had enough with this foolishness. It was obvious by now that she had been stood up, at no fault of Gray's. It had been overly confident and eager of her to believe that he would want to meet up with her again. After all, the last time he probably only took her request out of pity or curiosity. It wasn't every day you found someone pathetic enough to post a note asking for a friend.

Taking her purse and fixing the back of her dark blue skirt, Juvia braced herself for the inevitable "I-told-you-so" that waited for her back at her dorm. Gajeel had been a firm believer that she _shouldn't_ have reached out, especially after he caught sight of Gray's social media uploads. He wanted to "protect" her from negative influences like Gray, even if it meant shielding her from the truth at times.

In fact, Gajeel still hadn't explained to her what had happened when she woke up. All she knew was that the pierced man had met Gray and Gray walked out. She didn't know why the raven haired man left her without so much as a goodbye, but she had the sinking feeling that Gajeel wasn't telling her the whole truth, and that drove her to near insanity.

She was reluctant to go back to her apartment, to the inevitable teasing that came with it, but with every second she stayed alone, she felt wave after wave of anxiety hit her, seemingly endless. She wanted to find somewhere safe, someone safe, to be with. It was stupid of her to think she could just write a random note and get the dreamboat guy to come running. That was the sort of thing _other_ girls did. Girls who were pretty and outgoing. Girls who didn't think about dark things all night or have nightly frights because they couldn't get over their crippling fear of the dark. Girls who were "normal" enough to be able to go outside at night without having fits of fear and panic.

Unable to contain her impatience and anxiety a moment longer, she took one step outside of the section, her head down to the ground, hung in shame. Juvia wanted to hide her face from the prying eyes of strangers. She felt as if she were marked, with a big red target clear on her back for all to see. She felt as if everyone she passed could read her every thought and was laughing at her for it. Even if they didn't know that she had just been stood up, the girl felt paranoid, as if they were all regarding her with pity. She was well aware that probably wasn't the case, but she didn't dare look up to see. She wasn't sure she could handle a single other thing going her way.

As usual, Juvia had made the wrong choice. But, wasn't that always the case. Of course, since she hadn't been looking where she was going, it was just karma that she were to run into something. Or _someone_.


	8. Eight: Twisted Hearts and Twisted Ankles

**HELLO!** Itsa me. I'm so sorry about the super _super_ long time it took me to update. But here is a super fluffy chapter, with even more fluff waiting for y'alls next time :)

- _The demon :D_

* * *

 **Friend Please**

 **Eight:** _Twisted Hearts and Twisted Ankles_

* * *

Gray was going to throttle Natsu Dragneel. He didn't care about the aftermath, the prison sentence or the guilt. Because right then, the raven haired chem major was so fuming mad, there was not a single rational thought in his head.

The _one_ time Gray asks something of the pinkette, he messes it up. And not even a little, like I-bought-the-wrong-toilet-paper sort of screw up, more like the I-told-you-I-would-take-care-of-it-and-I-didn't type, which, especially under these circumstances, was millions of times worse.

After reading Juvia's letter the previous day, Gray had been in a spectacular mood. He was beyond elated. The man was so giddy, he would randomly breaking out in giggles. This, along with many other strange things he had been doing, caused his friends to be...well... _concerned_. The college student was normally so well put-together and composed. He rarely ever showed emotion (save his violent arguments with his supposed best friend). He prided himself on separating work from play, taking his schooling seriously will taking his partying equally seriously.

He had done everything right that day to ensure he would be able to meet up with Juvia. Luckily, he didn't have any courses scheduled for that day at all, so it would be easy for him to go meet the beautiful girl. He had even gone so far as to get ahead in some of his course work, being able to concentrate for the first time in a week. Knowing he would be able to see her again so soon cleared that annoying part of his subconscious mind, the section that randomly made him think of her while he tried to work. With that pressure taken off his shoulders, he had been really productive that day, being able to finish all those assignments that had been starting to pile up.

Gray spent the whole day studiously working in the quiet of his room. He had his headphones in, listening to calming "Sleeping at Last" instrumentals. Every so often, he would get up to make a snack or something. In those break periods, he found his mind wandering to Juvia. Her gorgeous, blue hair, her sweet disposition, her adorable wide-eyed gaze. Everything about her made Gray oddly happy, made him smile and want to celebrate.

Around 3 o'clock, the man decided he could no longer live on junk food alone. Taking only his coat with him, he didn't bother taking his keys as Natsu promised he would be home in twenty minutes. He knew it had more than sufficient time.

He had faith that his best friend, dimwitted as he was at times, would know to be home on time, as he was aware Gray had places to be later that evening.

Forty five minutes and a full, home-cooked meal (courtesy of the wonderful Mirajane), the man made his way through the snow (deeper than before, if that is even possible) to his apartment. And of course, just when he needed him, Natsu was a no show.

No note, no text message, not a word. He was _so_ ready to kill him. Like, ready past the point of caring of consequences. Ready to the point where he was devising different ways to kill him with his personal items. Because, without him, Gray was incapable of gaining entry to his own apartment. Even though he knew he was partially at fault for not bothering with his own keys, he was happier placing all the blame on Natsu. It made his head rest easier.

You see, Gray needed to go back to his apartment. Because his wallet was there. Of course, he was too stupid to have brought it with him before leaving, so now he was suffering the consequences. For a few moments, he considered leaving to meet the beautiful girl without a penny on him, before quickly deciding that waiting was the better course of action. This time, Gray was not going to let her go easily. He intended on bringing her out to a nice dinner, spending his time getting to know the blue-haired beauty. Sadly, he could only do that _if Natsu decided to show his stupid, ugly face_.

The man waited impatiently for the next hour and some odd minutes, pacing. He wanted to go outside, _anywhere but that stupid hallway_ , but he feared he would leave and Natsu would appear while he was elsewhere.

Finally, at five to five, Natsu decided to show his face. His hair was disheveled and he had a rather...mysterious mark on his neck. Deciding not to ask, Gray put aside his homicidal thoughts while he sprinted to grab the black wallet waiting for him on his desk. He didn't even acknowledge his friend, as he was running so late, he had not a second to spare. He would have to wait until his return to yell at the pink-haired college student.

Gray ran faster than he had ever before, pushing his way through the mob of students ending their long days. Ignoring the grunts and calls that he left in his wake, he made his way through the ridiculously thick snow, with the only thing motivating him being the face of the girl waiting for him in the library. He knew he was running late and prayed on everything holy that she would still be there when he finally arrived. Of course, because of his luck, the library she wanted to meet him at was across the campus, meaning he needed to sprint there to hope to catch her, which (of course) he did without a second thought.

After what seemed like eons, he finally arrived at the tall and picturesque building, not stopping to admire how beautiful it looked in the soft, white snow. He was so close to his goal, it was at the tip of his fingers. Even though they studied at the same college and lived so close, he had never felt physically near her in those agonizing days. Instead, he felt as if she were light years away, hidden miles under the sea, buried under the Earth's surface. Now, she was finally back in his atmosphere and he couldn't wait another second, as the anticipation was slowly driving him mad and killing him.

Gray was so eager to meet the girl, he didn't stop once he had passed through the library's large doors. He kept moving, too quickly for his own good, without pausing to look where he was going. He knew exactly which section she spoke of and ran there as if he were on auto-pilot. Sadly, because of his recklessness, he didn't notice her before it was too late.

 _Bamn!_

The collision seemed to hurt her more than it had hurt Gray. While he was completely unaffected, she was knocked to the ground. The dark haired boy's eyes widened as his eyes took in the girl's figure on the floor, grasping her ankle in pain. Immediately kneeling down, he went to comfort her, his mind pausing in shock as he slowly recognized the beauty before him.

Juvia.

He sat in front of her, unmoving in pure shock, as he took in the situation. Gray felt sick to the stomach as he watched the girl squirm in pain as she clutched her ankle, softly whimpering in pain as she did so.

"I am _so_ sorry, oh my God," he said, at last finding his voice. His words were soaked in regret as Juvia's eyes began to water. It seemed that the collision really had done more damage than he had first expected. He gingerly reached over to inspect her ankle himself, paying extra attention to be gentle with her injured limb. He felt sick to the stomach as he saw the redness and swelling he had caused.

All because of him, the one girl he had been aching to see all week was suffering.

"Does it hurt?" he whispered, leaning back to look at her soft features. She nodded ever so slightly, trying so hard to contain her pain.

"It's okay, I think. Just twisted." she murmured back, her voice dripping with pain and suffering. It was clearly badly sprained at the least, meaning she would be unable to walk for quite some time. Needing to bring her to a first aid kit and trained professional, Gray knew he couldn't make her stand on her own. That left one option.

Doing the one thing he could think of, he slid his coat on her shoulders, lifted the beautiful girl in his arms, and carried her out the door and into the setting light of the winter sun, ignoring the sharp pain of the snow that hit his face and bare arms. He would fix this, if it was the last thing that he would do.


End file.
